Oniscus asellus

Oniscus asellus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Isopoda
Suborder: Oniscidea
Family: Oniscidae
Genus: Oniscus
Species:
O. asellus
Binomial name
Oniscus asellus
Synonyms [1]
  • Oniscus affinis
  • Oniscus fossor
  • Oniscus lamperti
  • Oniscus languidus
  • Oniscus lineatus
  • Oniscus murarius
  • Oniscus nodulosus
  • Oniscus taeniola
  • Oniscus vicarius
  • Porcellio Dio lineatus
  • Porcellio Cane taeniola

Oniscus asellus, the common woodlouse, or common shiny woodlouse[2] is one of the largest and most common species of woodlouse native to the British Isles and Western and Northern Europe, growing to lengths of 16 mm and widths of 6 mm.

Distribution

The common woodlouse is the most widespread species of woodlouse in the British Isles, both geographically and ecologically.[3] It is rare in the Mediterranean Basin, but is widespread in Northern and Western Europe, as far east as Ukraine, as well as in the Azores and Madeira; it has also been widely introduced in the Americas,[1] predominantly in Mexico and in the United States, east of the Mississippi River and west of the Rocky Mountains.[2]

Common Shiny Woodlouse

Ecology

The common woodlouse occurs in a wide range of habitats, including some with little available calcium. It is chiefly found under stones, and on rotting wood.[3] It is the only woodlouse regularly found on heather moors and blanket bogs, where it lives around items such as rotting fenceposts.[3]

Description

The common woodlouse is one of the largest native woodlice in Britain, at up to 16 mm (0.63 in) long.[4] It is relatively flat, and is a shiny brown/grey in colour,[3] although juveniles are rougher.[4]

Pale patches are often visible on the back of Oniscus asellus; these are areas that store calcium, which is then used to reinforce the exoskeleton after a moult.[4] Moulting occurs in two halves, with the rear half moulting before the front half. The exuvia (the thing that is being moulted) is often consumed by the animal after moulting.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Helmut Schmalfuss (2003). "World catalog of terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) – revised and updated version" (PDF). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde, Serie A. 654: 341 pp.
  2. ^ a b "Common Shiny Woodlouse". inaturalist.org. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  3. ^ a b c d Paul T. Harding & Stephen L. Sutton (1985). Woodlice in Britain and Ireland: distribution and habitat (PDF). Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology. p. 151. ISBN 0-904282-85-6. accessed through the NERC Open Access Research Archive (NORA)
  4. ^ a b c d "Common woodlouse (Oniscus asellus)". ARKive.org. Archived from the original on 2010-04-29. Retrieved February 22, 2009.